Discover, the smallest of the four major US card networks, launched a website called Credit Scorecard that will allow any consumer — regardless of whether they are a Discover customer — to check their FICO credit score for free.

The service, which will provide scoring data from credit bureau Experian, will give consumers access to their credit score, factors that might be helping or detracting from it, and a summary of the data that determines it. For context, Discover is the first card network in the US to provide such a service. It's worth noting that Capital One recently launched a similar platform.

Offering a free credit scoring service could provide a new channel for customer acquisition.

Consumers want to know more about their credit health. US credit card debit is on track to hit $1 trillion this year, according to The Wall Street Journal. That means that consumers have significant debt to manage, which means it's likely that they're looking for opportunities to access and improve their scores. And keeping tabs on scores can be key to raising them, because these platforms provide strategies for better managing credit and can also show the sources contributing to the score. 60% of users who checked their credit score in the past year saw scores improve, according to Discover.

The service could help Discover attract new customers. Discover could serve users recommendations for its own cards or other credit products based on users' credit scores. That's particularly relevant because the firm just launched a secured version of its flagship card targeted at lower-credit consumers. The platform could ultimately tie into Discover's overall strategy of attracting new, high-value customers in order to drive loan growth.

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